Ascension: Prelude
by Kirlia481
Summary: What exactly happened before the events of Ascension? Today, we find out.


Ok, since there's 89 minutes until the Ascension (first strike) map pack loads, and i've been thinking about this for a while, so enjoy, the events leading up to Ascension!

* * *

BANG!

The sound rattled the Soviet-owned Ascension rocket compound, sent several people flying out of bed, instruments to go haywire, and caused the sleepy guards to accidently fire their guns into the morning gloom. The door of the building the bang had come from had been blown off its hinges, and as the first curious (and slightly deaf) scientists arrived, they could slightly hear agitated voices arguing.

Suddenly, two figures staggered out of the door. The crowd was shocked to see the Brown haired Gersch and the black haired Yuri yelling at each other.

"Nyet, Dr. Kravcheski, that's enough! You've had all the chances you needed, and look at what you've done! You could have blown us all to hell! The only thing that can be said is that you at least accomplished toasting the Mechanism!"

"B-but Dr. Gersch, this technology is beyond what i've seen, the effects are startling-"

"I could have figured that out for myself! The rocket launch is in six months, and you could've wiped the compound off the face of the earth!"

"Da, I know, but-"

"Nyet! No buts! You have proven completely incompetent for the project, I have another position that MUST be easy enough for you, you idiotic fool."

"No! Please, I almost have the answer-"

"Enough, Yuri. As of now, you are transferred to Project AK64-A." Gersch said, leaving the scene.

The unfortunate Yuri could only gape at the departing form of the Head Scientist, and groaned.

* * *

After a few days Gersch managed to regain his footing from the sound and vibration the rotten device had created, walked into his office and phoned a superior in Moscow, while asking his secretary to get him a bottle of vodka.

"Da, what is it, doctor? you seem ill, Do you need a rest, I can arrange it." the voice of that of which could only be General Vladimir Petrovich asked.

"Comrade Petrovich, I give you my sincere gratitude for that, but no, I do not need it, but, down to business. I am pleased to report all projects are running smoothly afther these here 'personal' changes."

'"Is this about the project?" Petrovich asked.

Gersch was surprised the General knew, but recollected himself.

"Sort of. As I have previously mentoned, Yuri Kravcheski is a brilliant scientist, but he has so far proved incapable of handling Project Mercury - or as you call it, The Gersch Device, heh heh. And so due to numerous delays and setbacks I have sadly been forced to transfer Yuri to AK64-A experiments. I have decided your nephew should take his place."

Petrovich couldn't believe it. Doctor Gersch asking for Viktor's help on the device? He felt like he was the one who killed Hitler!

"Da, I'll send him when he comes back from Berlin."

Gersch was relieved. "Good. I look forward to working with him. directly. The recent incident with the Kassimir mechanism leaves no doubt in my mind, that this is the right decision. The explosion caused the Mechanism significant damage. It will take time to re-manafacture all of the parts...unless some of them can be salvaged."

"Excellent. We must repair it soon. Good luck, doctor." Petrovich hung up. Later, Gersch would find, with a sense of unease, that all references to Petrovich couldn't be brought up on the tape recorder.

* * *

Sergeant Piotr Mayakovsky, An experienced dispatch rider, which was a military term for paper boy, was busy taking a message from Comrade Gersch to Kravcheski, as surprised to hear Yuri's furious ranting as he entered the lab.

"Doctor Kravscheski, a message for-" Mayakovsky thought Yuri wasn't listening, until he turned around away from the window to face the sergeant.

"You know why i'm angry, sergeant?"

"No sir."

"You don't know why?" Yuri turned around to face the rocket being set up. "That's why."

Yuri started shaking, as he turned around. Piotr was shocked that Yuri's face was going red.

"ROCKETS! He transfers me to work on rockets! These experiments require no finesse, no imagination! My intellect is ill served blasting a bunch of monkeys in to the atmosphere!"

Piotr actually thought that he was going to see Yuri cry, but then the hapless scientist sighed and calmed down.

"But I can't fight Gersch on this. I was able to hold onto my keys, my pride, as well as my research. No one really understands what Project Mercury is capable of. Until this lab will have to do...wait, is that a matryoshka doll?"

Yuri noticed something on the table next to Piotr, walked over and picked it up, before yelling at the other scientists.

"Did someone let a child in?" He shouted, knocking a radio from the table.

One of them replied, "Nyet, comrade Kravcheski, I have been in here all day, and I haven't seen a child."

Yuri looked at the doll with an ill-disguised look of resentment, and threw it into the bin next to him.

* * *

There was a knock on Gersch's door.

"Come in."

Yuri Entered.

"Ah, good day, Yuri, what is it?' Gersch asked.

"The matryoshka doll I found in my lab."

"...Excuse me?"

'I said, the Matryoshka doll I found in my lab 20 minutes ago! Where's the child?' Yuri said angrily, face turning red again.

"Calm down Yuri, What child?"

"The...the...the child! I know there's a child here Gersch!" Yuri was too incensed to listen.

Gersch led him to the door.

"I think the transfer's gotten to you, wait a few days and it should wear off."

Yuri left the room without a backwards glance.

* * *

It was another few days until Yuri stormed into the room again, not bothering to knock.

Gersch was a bit annoyed by this, but upon seeing the look on Yuri's face, he wisely decided to stay quiet for this one.

Amazingly, Yuri waited for him to speak.

"...Yes?" Gersch asked.

"I found a box today. Some lebanke left his teddy bear in it. A disgusting a filthy toy!" He held up the bear, and Gersch stared at it in horror.

It was dirty, scratched all over, missing an ear, and had what looked suspiciously like blood on it's face.

Yuri continued. "Who keeps bringing their child onto this base? Thank god they did not take the-" Yuri stopped himself before he said too much, but Gersch didn't notice.

Gersch gagged. "Please Yuri, take the filthy thing out of here, it's revolting!"

"It is, isn't it?" Yuri grimaced, and left the room.

Yuri decided to take it to his room. After a cleaning, and and stitching over the place where the ear used to be, he put it on his desk, sat down and looked at it, before long he was talking to it. It, being a toy, didn't answer.

"I found you in a box today. A child left you here. Thank god they didn't take the diary: the things I have learned about the Element is too valuable. I'll have to conduct this research on my own, away from the destructive hands of Gersch! His research in Project Mercury has stalled, but will HE be transferred? I doubt it! As long as Project Thunder remains on track, his friends at the Kremlin will support him. I must think small."

Then, suddenly, a voice talked.

"Vhy think small vhen I can help you?"

Yuri looked around in shock, but no one was there.

Unnerved, he looked at the teddy bear and nearly screamed in terror.

The eyes had turned a light blue, and it had moved.

Yuri looked around and saw a little girl, possibly 7 or 8, standing there looking at him.

Yuri screamed again, leapt up from his chair, and backed against the wall.

"Vhy are you afraid of me? I cannot harm you."

Yuri managed to regain his speech.

"You're...you're German!"

"Ja." the girl replied.

"B-but..you're the girl!"

"Yes. I see you found my toy." The girl looked at the clean bear. "And you've taken care of it."

Yuri was starting to calm down now. This girl was friendly.

"But how did you get into the compound without anyone noticing?" He couldn't help but asked.

The girl turned to face him, and Yuri shivered. Her eyes had visions of powers, powers Yuri preferred were kept hidden.

"Some things...are better left unsaid." The girl replied.

There was a tense moment in the room, before Yuri remembered what she first said.

"What do you mean, you can help me?" He asked.

The girl giggled.

"Isn't it obvious? I can cure you of your Gersch problem, and put you at a rank above your former position."

If Yuri had been back at his old position, he would've politely declined. But his hatred of Gersch, the pointlessness of his new position, and the look in the girl's eyes made him think otherwise.

"Da. what do you need right now?"

"An exchanging of names. And your name is...?"

"Doctor Yuri Kravcheski. Yours?"

"Samantha Maxis."

Yuri blinked in surprise. He heard that name before. When he looked again, he could've sworn the girl had never been there.

Several footfalls could be heard outside the door. Obviously, his screams had attracted attention.

One of his Technicians burst into the room, gasping from the journey. "Dr Kravcheski...is everything alright?"

Yuri nodded. "Da. Just a bad dream."

The technician looked at him suspiciously before leaving the room. Yuri wouldn't know of the conversation between the technician and Gersch a few minutes later.

"I'm telling you, comrade. Dr. Kravcheski is is losing it. Just a few minutes ago he started screaming his head off. He's going insane."

Gersch sighed. "It's noted, Viktor." He dismissed the technician curtly.

* * *

That night, Samantha visited Yuri again. The visits had be on and off for the past six months, and the girl was starting to grow on Yuri. She was very intelligent, and had helped him on problems he was stuck on.

But all that exited his brain as he realised something was missing. The Soyuz rocket plans.

Yuri cursed.

"Something wrong?" Samantha asked.

"Yes, Samantha, I left one of the blueprints in the lab. I'll have to get it."

"No need." Samantha said dismissively, pointing at the desk. Yuri wheeled around to see the blueprint he needed right there on the desk, crisp and perfect.

Samantha, standing behind him, smirked.

Yuri was in shock. "How did...what did you...how..._what are you?_"

"I'm more than you vill ever know, mein freund."

Yuri, still looking at Samantha oddly, went back to his work. Samantha, after an hour of peering over his shoulder looking at his work, decided to speak.

"I have a way to get rid of Gersch for you."

Yuri laughed. "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

Samantha showed Gersch a vision of what he would do. After the vision, Yuri looked at Samantha with a disbelieving expression.

"Finish off Gersch with Project Mercury? I can't."

"And vhy can't you do that?"

Yuri stared at Samantha with a pleading look. She still had the friendly face on her.

"The...the lab!"

"What about the lab?" Samatha said calmly. Yuri started babbling. The voices in his head had reached a point which he couldn't handle.

"They're entering my head! Always my head! I can't enter, I can't, I can't stop it! Keep it out! Why won't you leave me alone!? Calm down there! Calm_ down!_ No, no I won't!_ Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!_ J-Just stop! Fine...Okay, okay, I will." Samantha smiled.

"Good, Yuri. Now, about those mechanism problems you're talking about..."

* * *

Gersch was supervising the set up of the Soyuz Rocket a few days later, when Yuri walked up to him, looking positively delighted.

"What is it now?" Gersch asked, voice dripping with annoyance.

Yuri gleamed. "I found out what went wrong with the Mechanism!"

Gersch scowled. "I thought you were **_off_ **that project."

Yuri's positive outlook dampened a tiny bit. "So did I, comrade. But with the spare time-"

**"**_**SPARE TIME!?"**_Gersch thundered. "You're supposed to be working on Project AK-64-A, Not having **spare time!**"

Yuri rolled on, heedless of his superior's anger. "Witht he spare time I have lately, i've been going over what went wrong. I have the answer now!"

"Oh, i've never heard _**this **_one before." A nearby technician said sarcastically.

"I'll be in the lab, putting on the finishing touches." Yuri said, grinning. Gersch stormed over to him, and poked him in the chest.

"If you go into that lab, i'll have you transferred to a camp in Siberia! You got it!?" Gersch yelled.

Yuri walked off, talking to himself again.

"He's completely lost it." A passing soldier remarked. Gersch had every reason to agree.

* * *

The next day, Gersch was calling Moscow with a status report.

"Good day, Doctor Gersch. Any news for me?" Petrovich asked.

"Yes sir. The rocket will be launched in two days, and The Gersch Device is nearly complete.

"Will the Rocket be better than what the Americans have?" Petrovich asked. Gersch cleared his mouth. He didn't notice the radio near his desk turn on.

"I can assure you that our craft will be far superior to whatever the Americans or should I say, Canadians, are developing. Finally, Project Thunder is nearing completion. My staff has assured me that the remaining limitations of the effective range and power cells will be solved within the next few months. Oh, and also, you should know that Doctor Kravcheski does not appear to be adjusting to his new position. He has been hostile towards the other scientists, at least, more than usual and has frequently been seen muttering to himself. The transition must have been hard for him, but if he does not learn his place soon... I may require another, more competent scientist to replace him." He didn't notice the radio turn off.

"As you wish, Doctor." Petrovich hung up.

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK

"Enter already!" Gersch yelled. A soldier burst into the room, face dripping with sweat.

"Comrade Gersch, Dr. Kravcheski requests your audience in the Mechanism chamber."

Gersch's face darkened.

"If this turns out to be another failure i'll have his head." He hissed.

It was fifteen minutes later that Gersch stormed into the round chamber. Yuri was standing at the control desk, inputting codes manically. He turned around and welcomed his superior. "My comrade! I'm glad you could make it! We are going to make HISTORY here!"

"This had better be good, Yuri. The fact that you're even in this lab again is reason enough to have you permanently removed!_ If you've done anything to ruin-_" Gersch threatened, but Yuri laughed it off.

"Do not worry, you will not be disappointed. In fact, I'm sure you won't forget it! But I can't take all the credit. If you'll do me the honors."

Gersch, eyeing Yuri warily, pressed the button in the centre of the room. At once, Samantha appeared, her face far from friendly now.

"Having fun!?" she yelled demonically.

"What the-!?" Gersch spun around, and the air behind him turned into a gaping portal, sucking in everything that wasn't tied down. Including Gersch.

"No! No! Yuri, you-! AAAH!" Gersch screamed as he was sucked into the portal, which closed instantly, leaving only two people in the room. One of them started laughing maniacally. Yuri.

"You fat pig! Enjoy your bed! Heheheh, heh..." He faltered as Samantha giggled insanely to herself. At that point, he realised what Samantha had wanted him to do.

"Oh no. No! Nononono! Nonononono! What have I done!?_ What have I do-_" In his panic, he swiped several things fron the desk. One of them was another radio. Yuri screamed as several dozen hideous creatures emerged from the portal.

"What are those? Samantha! Help me!" he yelled.

She grinned. "And vhy would I do that? If you're in league with Edward Richtofen...well, you are nice, and you have taken care of Teddy..." She mumbled the last bit, so Yuri didn't hear her. Not that he would have anyway, He was freaking out.

"Richtofen? I don't know anyone named Richtofen! Gersch did! Some crackpot Nazi gave him the ideas for what we're doing! That guy was named Richtofen!" Yuri shrieked.

"Vell, that's new. Thank you, Yuri. As a sign of my gratitude, I'll give you ten minutes to get out of here. I want you to go to Moscow, tell them what happened, and get them to send a team comprising of an American, A Communist, a Samurai, and a Nazi. If you're not gone by then...well, I'll leave it to your imagination what'll happen to you."

Yuri, not thinking of how daft the request sounded, took advantage of the reprieve. He ran to his room, gathered as many things as he could carry, and ran as fast as he could to the Helicopter pad nearby.

A Mil-Mi 8 was there, The pilots going through take off checks. They were surprised by the dishevelled scientist practically leaping into the Helicopter.

"Uh, sir..." One of them started.

"Don't talk! Get me out of here, Now!" Yuri rasped. The pilots now heard screams and inhuman roars emanating from the compound nearby. "What is that?" One of them asked.

"Don't ask! Hurry! Take off while we can!" Yuri screamed. The pilots, bewildered as they were, did as they were asked, and the helicopter lifted off from the ground. Gunfire and explosions could be heard inside the Cosmodrome.

"Should we help?" the Co-Pilot asked Yuri.

"No! Anything but! Get me to Moscow!" Yuri replied, face ashen.

"Roger, Doctor." The Pilot said, as the helicopter turned to fly to Moscow, The Ascension compound burned behind them.


End file.
